IMO only two events qualify. The first is the founding of the franchise by Curly Lambeau and George Calhoun. Without them and their common vision for a team - and the $500 from Indian Packing Company, would there even be an NFL franchise in little Green Bay, Wisconsin? The second is the arrival of Lombardi, the greatest head coach in the history of the NFL who led the team to an incredible five championships in seven years, just as the NFL was gaining incredible popularity via TV.

No single player acquisition measures up and IMO it's not even close. I understand many here grew up with Favre as the Packers' QB and he certainly was an exciting player and first ballot HOFer. But he led the Packers to just one championship. Looking at the entire history of the franchise, his acquisition was a high point but in no way defining.

the 1st time the team sold stock to the public redefined the term town team. Many pro sports franchises were started. Most fail sooner or later or get sold and moved out of town. Coaches, players, and management come and go with the best of each being a matter of opinion; usually boiling down to our favorite son is better than all the rest because he played for us. Only one team I know of is truly owned by the people that fill the stands. Fans as owners defines this team as completely different than anything else.

I would have to go with the decision to take the Packers public and sell shares -- making the World Champion Green Bay Packers the FANS' TEAM. No other team in the League will ever feel toward "their" team the way Packer fans feel toward THEIR team and that, to me, makes all the difference in the world.
The decision to hire Lombardi was monumental and he was perhaps the greatest coach in the history of the game, but I am not certain there would have been the Lombardi legend were it not for Bart Starr. Likewise, I am not certain Bart Starr would have been what he was without Lombardi. I don't think any one person can or should define the team; though we have had some legendary players, coaches, and management.
If I had to choose something besides the decision to sell shares and make the team public, I would have to go with winning Super Bowl I. Other teams have won the Super Bowl. Other teams have won more Super Bowls, but NO team other than the World Champion Green Bay Packers can EVER lay claim to winning the inaugural Super Bowl.

I gotta go with hiring Lombardi. The Titletown name came about because of the 5 World Championships they won while Lombardi was coach. You could probably combine the hiring of Jack Vainisi then the hiring of Lombardi as the defining moment of the Pack. As great a coach as Lombardi was if it wasn't for Vainisi drafting all the future HOF players all the Titles may never have happened.

On second thought I agree with Poppa San. Lambeau and Lombardi were extremely important to the Packers but what defines them is their status as the only publically owned NFL team.

According to the Packers’ website, the first stock sale took place at a meeting in 1923 where ,"… local merchants raise $5,000 by selling 1,000 shares for $5 apiece, with a stipulation that the purchaser also had to buy at least six season tickets." What a great deal!

The next stock sale in 1935 was part of a reorganization (out of receivership) and raised $15,000. In 1950 about $118,000 was raised. The shares cost $25 and according to the website, "Reportedly, one woman from a farm near Wrightstown, Wis., showed up at the team’s offices with $25 worth of quarters in a match box." In the last stock sale, about $24 million was raised in the late ‘90s for the Lambeau field renovation.

I think that’s it, no other NFL team can tell that kind of story. So I agree with Pappa San. Either the first stock sale or the collection of all four are what defines the Packers.